Survivor is on a ratings roll.

After record high audiences for its fall edition in Samoa, the veteran reality competition kicked off its 20th season (Heroes vs. Villains) Thursday on Global with an average 2.7 million viewers. The number is on par with its PPM-inflated fall debut back in October, which netted 2.8 million viewers. (All numbers 2+ unless otherwise indicated).

The latest Survivor pits former contestants against each other, casting them as heroes, such as viewer favourite Rupert Boneham, or villains, including Texas oilman Russell Hantz.

The two-hour debut episode at 8 p.m. yielded 1.4 million viewers in the key 18-to-49 demographic – more than double that of its closest time-slot competitors, CTV’s CSI and Grey’s Anatomy.

Meanwhile, CTV’s top reality American Idol set a nine-season series high last week as Ellen DeGeneres made her judging debut on the singing competition. The episode averaged 3.5 million viewers on Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 8 p.m., and bested Global’s NCIS by 64%.

From Playback Daily